


A Good Place to Clear the Head

by wonderluck



Series: In the Waking Hours [2]
Category: The Fall (TV)
Genre: F/F, Minor Violence, OT3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 19:39:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5468546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderluck/pseuds/wonderluck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Recovering from the events in season two, Stella spends the night with Dani and Reed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Good Place to Clear the Head

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kmo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kmo/gifts).



> Your letter planted the idea of Stella/Dani/Reed and I couldn't resist. Happy Yuletide!

Stella saw herself at the edge of the forest, as if through someone else's eyes. The relief of Rose's rescue was evident on her face. As she walked clear of the trees, she felt the ground lurch from under her as she watched Tom Anderson and Paul Spector jerk sideways and thud to the forest floor as Jimmy's gun found its mark. And then her hands were on Paul's stomach, trying to staunch the blood flow, to hold it in.

But this time Paul's eyes flew wide open, his free hand rushing up to clamp around her neck like a vise. She toppled backward and Paul followed, squeezing the breath from her. Her fellow officers disappeared, vanished, empty holsters lying where their feet had been. Stella viewed herself from above and saw her eyes begin to fade. Her journal lay beside her in the dirt, the pages fluttering open in the wind.

Two shots rang out and Paul collapsed. His head fell limp against her shoulder. She turned to see Dani with her gun trained on Paul, smoke twisting up from the barrel and obscuring her parted lips. They shared a look before Stella scrambled out from beneath Paul.

Stella startled awake. Another nightmare, another day where Paul Spector would not be brought to justice. Her reassurances to the families and to Annie Brawley that she would get him, she would put him away, were for naught. He lay in a coma in the hospital and there was nothing she could do. There was talk that Sally Ann would have him taken off life support. He would get the easy way out. He would cease to exist. But his family would never have the time to process the horror of his secret life, but instead suffer two simultaneous losses. Sometimes fathers died twice.

She jotted down the details of the dream in her new journal — a smaller size now and carefully concealed with her at all times.

She reached for her phone and dialed Dani's number.

"Ma'am?" Dani answered. She sniffled and Stella heard a brush of fabric over the mouthpiece as if she had run the back of her hand across her nose.

Stella skipped a greeting. "How are you?" she asked.

A pause. "Not so good."

"Come over," Stella said but she softened it, "if you like." The unspoken acknowledgement that Stella was _not fine herself_ hung between them.

***

Dani had an open invitation to Stella's room. She had spent her first night with Stella more than a week earlier after another frustrating night at the station. She had been careful in her approach, but Stella had seen it coming well before even Dani herself had decided what she wanted. Dani had been clear that she wasn't interested in a relationship, which suited Stella's needs. 

They lost themselves in each other. Their palpable guilt was set aside and forgotten during their time together. Dani could sleep through the night when she shared Stella's bed. And only when Stella had exhausted herself completely could she cobble together more than four hours of sleep at a time. Dani was very good for that.

Tonight was no different. Stella's brow relaxed as she panted against the side of Dani's neck. She flipped Dani onto her back and kissed her, smoothing her hair back with one hand.

Her phone vibrated on the bedside table. She reached over and opened the drawer, shoving the phone inside. Her focus was entirely on Dani and nothing could deter her from this, not now.

As the night went on, the ever-present tightness in her shoulders slackened, her body unwinding under Dani's touch. 

There was a knock on the door, tentative but loud enough to be heard. Stella disentangled herself from Dani and threw on a robe. She wasn't angry at the interruption so much as angry at herself that she could not ignore it. As she strode toward the door, she thought about how many of these nighttime knocks she had answered, how it had become a regular part of her life here in Belfast. 

Stella's forehead furrowed as she stared through the peephole. Reed stood on the other side of the door. Her eyes were cast to one side, and she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

Stella opened the door fully, no hesitation. Dani darted out of sight and continued yanking her jeans over her legs before scrambling for her shirt. 

Reed glanced behind Stella. Stella raised a brow at her, lips softly pressed together. She waited.

"Sorry," Reed said. "I rang first, but you didn't answer. I should have assumed you were... preoccupied."

"There's no need for that," Stella said. She knew Reed was deflecting, using more unnecessary comments on Stella's love life as a means to talk herself out of whatever she'd come here for. Stella had no time for it. She wanted simple honesty.

Reed's eyes cast downward before glancing up at Stella. Reed looked again toward the shadowed movement inside the room.

"Dani," Stella called out.

Dani appeared, pushing the last button on her shirt through its hole (how Stella had enjoyed the first time she slipped that button at the base of Dani's throat free). Her feet were still bare. She nodded her head once at Reed. "Ma'am."

Reed looked perplexed and turned to leave.

"Dani and I have an understanding," Stella said as if that were enough explanation.

Reed said nothing, but she also didn't leave. 

Stella glanced back at Dani, one eyebrow raised. Dani's lips parted, a light blush dusting her cheeks. She nodded her head again.

"Come inside," Stella said.

"No, I'm interrupting. I wouldn't want to ruin your evening." 

"Come inside and we can discuss this," Stella insisted. 

***

"I understand that you're conflicted," Stella said after Reed had spent much of the conversation back pedaling. Reed had just left the hospital after spending a night at Rose's bedside. She had walked past Paul Spector's guarded room and dashed out of the building. Stella had known what Reed had come to her for but not _why_. Stella's eyes were soft as she regarded her, her tone even. "Would you like to spend the evening here?" 

Reed pressed her lips tight together. She nodded. 

Stella took her time undressing Reed. Dani stood to one side and fumbled nervously as she removed her clothes again. Stella pressed a half-clothed Reed against Dani, and Dani's hands followed Stella's, touching every bit of skin Stella revealed.

"All right?" Stella asked as she peeled off the last of Reed's clothing. She usually refrained from speaking during encounters like this. Her job was all speech: interrogation, corroboration, and managing the media. When she had someone in her bed, she wanted to leave off the talking, her own and theirs. No distractions from their bodies, no words to get in the way. Her demeanor set the tone and no one needed clarification. Dani hadn't spoken except the various expletives she whispered with her eyes squeezed shut and her body shuddering against the bed. 

But Reed, Reed was different. She would need to hear from Stella. Reed was skittish, reluctant in spite of herself. 

"Yes," Reed answered.

"Dani's going to give you something … more familiar," Stella said, turning her gaze to Dani.

Dani pulled the harness from her overnight bag beside the bureau and approached the bed. Reed watched with great interest as Stella took up the harness and held it open for Dani. Dani balanced her hands on Stella's shoulder as she stepped one and then the other leg between the straps. She helped Stella position it and Stella secured it in place with firm tugs at the fastenings. Stella held the length of silicone by the base and pressed it tight against Dani causing her to gasp. 

"It's not just you who will benefit from this," Stella said to Reed. She leaned up to kiss Dani, drawing it out, her hands gently holding Dani's face. She sensed Reed's eyes on her. 

***

Stella knelt behind Dani, both hands coming up to cup her breasts. Dani's head lolled forward and she groaned, not quite a pained sound but nearly. Stella knew the effect her silk shirt had on Dani's bare skin, knew from the number of times she'd pinned Dani naked against the door while fully clothed. Her reaction to silk was only second to Stella's crisp uniform -- the chill of the buttons, the stiff fabric, the tie gathered in Dani's hand.

She rested her chin on Dani's shoulder as Dani righted her head. She moved inside Reed slowly, not as smoothly as before. It was possible for Stella to throw her off, drive her to distraction. 

"Do you like watching her?" Stella asked without specifying her intended party. 

Both women whispered "Yes." Dani's hips snapped forward and Reed melted beneath her. Stella slid one hand down Dani's stomach and molded her hips against Dani's back. Stella followed every movement of Dani's hips, every thrust.

Stella watched Reed's face as her breathing increased. Her eyes rolled back in her head on a particularly inspired maneuver from Dani. Stella smiled to herself and pulled Reed's hands up, securing them behind Dani's neck. Dani followed the motion and was flat out above Reed staring down at her. 

"Kiss her," Stella said, but the women didn't need much prodding. 

Stella was at their side now, her hands on Reed, heated. When Dani pulled her mouth away from Reed and went up on her hands, arms fully extended, Reed turned her head to look at Stella, open and blissed out but yearning. Stella appeared fully pleased with herself. She leaned in to kiss Reed hard, different than their first time. She swallowed every moan Reed gave. Stella had one hand on Reed's chest and the other on Dani's, her tongue in Reed's mouth. Sweat trickled down Dani's temple.

Stella took one of Reed's hands by the wrist. She moved her knees apart and brought Reed's hand between them. 

" _Never experienced_ does not necessarily mean _doesn't know how_ ," she said while Reed entered her slowly. Stella shook her head. She exhaled a shaky breath. "I'm well past the point of slow exploration." And she held Reed's hand against her, moving her fingers exactly how she wanted them: fast, demanding. Reed watched her and they shared an unblinking focus. Dani was putting her back into it and Reed grasped at her shoulders with her free hand, Dani's mouth on her neck murmuring reassurance and Reed fell into her climax, surprised by it's intensity. Stella watched her through the whole process, her eyes heavy-lidded, mouth parted, hips swaying into her touch. Reed's limbs grew heavy, and Dani slowed her pace to a near stop, pulling the last few spasms from her. Stella worked her hips faster and Reed came back to herself, meeting Stella thrust for thrust. Dani untangled herself from Reed and Stella reached for her, drawing her into a kiss that ended in Stella gasping her release against Dani's lips. Dani's eyes were bright and unburdened as Stella came down from her high. 

Reed shimmied up the bed to lean against the headboard, making room for Stella to collapse. But Stella surprised her when she pressed Dani back toward Reed, Reed making room for her in an embrace, Dani's head pillowed on Reed's sternum. Stella made quick work of the harness and tossed it on the floor. She pushed her hair aside and went flat on her stomach on the bed, her head firmly between Dani's thighs. Reed needed no direction on her part here. Her hands roamed Dani's chest. Reed found that Dani liked a rougher touch. Her legs began to shake as Stella brought a hand up to join her mouth. When Dani reached her peak, her spine went convex, the gasps falling from her mouth turning to half cries as Stella took her to another level. Dani's hair matted against the side of her face and Reed thought she looked delicious. 

If Stella hadn't been bone-weary from another difficult day, she surely was now. 

Later, when she woke from an unsettling dream, Reed had a warm arm draped across her waist and Dani was there to kiss away the ghosts.


End file.
